


The Harvest Empire of Inarizaki

by ohhanabi98



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Empire, F/M, Female Kita Shinsuke, Historical References, Inarizaki, Kita Shinsuke is ethereal, M/M, Not Beta Read, Osamu needs a break, Protective Miya Atsumu, fox spirits
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:35:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27571636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohhanabi98/pseuds/ohhanabi98
Summary: Kita Shinsuke is the head priestess of the Inarizaki Empire, and Miya Atsumu is a hopelessly-in-love samurai.
Relationships: Kita Shinsuke & Miya Atsumu, Kita Shinsuke/Miya Atsumu, Miya Osamu & Suna Rintarou, Miya Osamu/Suna Rintarou
Comments: 28
Kudos: 68





	1. The Samurai's Antics

Atsumu made a bored expression as another foreign traveller placed their stock of silk fabrics in front of him and his brother. The traveller requested 3 bags of this year’s rice harvest in exchange. Normally, such a deal would be dismissed immediately. None of the court cared for such extravagant fabrics, so the thought of accepting wouldn’t cross their minds.

The silk gleamed under the lantern’s flame; it was a vibrant ruby color. The samurai began to daydream -Atsumu thought it would compliment his bride’s fair skin beautifully. He impatiently nudged his twin to accept the trade. Osamu glared back at him.

“ _Kita-san would not appreciate this trade,”_ The nobleman implied as he narrowed his eyes at his insufferably love-struck brother.

 _“But_ ** _I_** _would appreciate it,”_ Atsumu smirked.

Osamu sighed. He simply looked back at the traveller and held up 2 fingers. The foreigner nodded quickly, and Osamu handed him two vouchers for the rice merchants’ stand. He bowed then excused himself from the courtroom.

“I cannot believe you expected me to shell out _three_ bags of newly harvested rice for this,” huffed Osamu as he packed his register notes away. “That would be able to feed a small family for half of a monsoon season.”

Atsumu dreamily sighed as he stood up with his _katana_ in one hand, and the package of silk in another. “But this silk would make the perfect kimono for Kita-san!” That comment earned him a hard jab to the rib with a sheathed _tanto_.

“She has enough kimonos. She’s been complaining to Sunarin about how inconvenient it is to have to alternate through all the kimonos you buy her.”

Admittedly, the samurai has bombarded his bride-to-be with a plethora of decorated dresses since he was courting her. Every time he entered the marketplace, he left with at least one gift to bring to the Kita household (to the pleasure of the city’s seamstresses -who were happy to be able to sell the ridiculously expensive designs that most of their customers could only dream to afford.) She didn’t have to wear all of the gifts he gave her, but Kita-san is anything but wasteful. She didn’t want the expensive fabric to waste away in her wardrobe for the moths to eat.

“Whatever,” Atsumu waved dismissively. “One more wouldn’t hurt.”

Osamu let out another heavy sigh before they made their way back to the court’s estate.

——

The pair of twins entered their carriage and embarked on their trip back to the imperial estate. It was in the heart of the capital, which meant there will most definitely be heavy traffic on the way there. Atsumu had the silk wrapped in a _furoshiki_ cloth and set it beside him. Osamu sat across from him and ignored the dumb look on his brother’s face as he unraveled some scrolls to evaluate.

Most of the ride consisted of the samurai rambling about some of his students’ inability to keep up with their weapons training or how their calligraphy looked like ink spilled in the river. The scenery behind them slowly transformed from vast farmland to bustling capital streets. As the imperial court’s carriage emerged from the outer gates, it drew crowds of attention. Both brothers pulled the curtains opened to greet their citizens. Kita-san would be upset if she heard her officers were impolite to their constituents.

After what seemed like an ocean of people passed by, the carriage pulled forward to the palace’s entrance. A bright red _sanno torii_ archway outlined the entrance with rows of large wisteria trees peaking from either side. Osamu tipped the driver as Atsumu gathered their belongings from the trunk and passed it onto the wait staff. The samurai carefully handed the package of silk to the lady-in-waiting.

Once he finished unloading, he reproached his brother -who was glaring towards the meeting courtyard. The nobleman clenched his fist tightly. “I’m not looking forward for the briefing today. That old man’s never goin’ to stop talking about the evasion.”

“If he so much as whispers anything about it in front of Kita-san, I’ll throw him off the roof.”

——

A crowd of political, religious, and military leaders occupied the courtyard. The white noise of small talk filled the air; the brothers entered quietly, as to avoid the whole formality. Osamu quickly beelined towards the bonsai trees to meet Suna -one of the mages who resided on the imperial estate. There, were Akagi and Ginjima, Suna’s fellow mage and an army lieutenant, who were studying the azalea blooms while Suna observed the crowd. A small smile appeared on his face as his lover made his way towards him. The nobleman greeted with a short bow and a discreet smirk. History will remember them as close friends; Atsumu will remember them as instigators of his suffering. He tried to follow his brother closely but was cut off by a gang of junior samurais who wanted to converse with their old mentor.

Two decorated footmen appeared at the priestess’ entrance, signaling the end of idling. The junior officers kneeled on one knee while senior officers and members of the imperial court formally bowed.

They announced the arrival of the head priestess. Both servants stepped aside, faced each other and bowed as the screen doors opened. A beautiful young woman appeared: long grey hair with black tips, slender features, and a stoic face. She donned a long rose-colored silk kimono and dangling hairpins that replicated the wisteria flowers. Behind her, followed her royal advisor, Omimi Ren, and the empire’s most decorated general, Ojiro Aran.

Servants flooded in the courtyard to place cushions down for each attendee. Once everyone settled, Kita began the meeting. The priestess spoke with grace and care; her voice showed dedicated practice. Her praise was never laced with unnecessary kindness, and she addressed concerns efficiently -not wasting time on assigning blame but suggesting solutions. Once Kita finished, the audience applauded (with a very proud-looking samurai’s clap being the loudest).

Omimi cleared his throat loudly to interrupt the applause. Everyone knew what was coming next: the secretaries’ reports. A scroll of names was unraveled, and the advisor began.

“Miya Osamu, please begin with your report on this season’s harvest.”

Osamu stood up, bowed, and opened up his thick register book. The younger officers groaned; no one liked sitting through the nobleman’s long report of harvest quality and sales. Unfortunately for them, Osamu’s favorite past time was torturing juniors through long lectures about food and numbers.

The briefing continues without anything eventful happening. All members of the court presented their reports, most with nothing significant to mention. Atsumu started to think that maybe they could finish the meeting without mentioning the evasion. The samurai wanted to shield Kita from the old men’s conservative ideology and offensive criticisms. However, he knew to hold his tongue while she sat on top the elevated veranda.

Omimi asked if there were any last comments from the courtyard. Silence. Atsumu was hopeful and held his breath. Surprisingly, the silence continued.

“Meeting ajourned,” the advisor announced.

The officers rose to bow to the priestess as she exited the courtyard. The general and advisor tailed behind her as the footmen shut the sliding door. Chatter flooded back in; now it consisted of a mix of admiration and complaints.

Osamu weaved through the crowd to grab his brother. While he wanted to spend more time catching up with Suna, he knew his nuisance of a brother needed someone to stop him before he does anything irrational. Atsumu was surely going to be upset if he heard anyone criticizing Kita-san. He found the samurai surrounded by his juniors once again. He relaxed a bit and slowed his steps. If the samurai was with his former students, they would shower him with praises about the priestess.

“Sensei, you’re the luckiest man in the empire!” exclaimed an enthusiastic samurai. “Kita-sama becomes more beautiful every time we see her.”

The group nodded in equally enthusiastic agreement. Atsumu had a disgustingly smug smile on his face. Osamu wanted to wipe it right off. As the samurai was beginning to brag about his lover, the most dreadest man of the evening -an older politician from a riverside town, interjected.

“The only good thing about that woman is her appearance,” spat the old man. “She shouldn’t be interfering with government matters.”

The younger samurais stared at the politician with wide eyes; who would criticize Kita-sama so cruelly -especially in front of her fiancé?

He swung an arm around Atsumu’s shoulders, forcing the young man to crouch down.

“Once you two marry, you should have her retire her involvement in the state’s matters,” the politician laughed. Atsumu continued to keep his mouth shut. “We don’t want another disaster like the Yokozawa.”

Atsumu’s eyebrow twitched; his brother’s pace quickened. Before the samurai could blow up in anger, Osamu hastily pulled his brother away from the politician.

“I apologize Amai-san, we have an appointment with the imperial family soon,” the nobleman said with an artificial smile. “If you could excuse us.”

He forced his brother to bow and pushed him away from the group. The junior samurais bowed back as the twins exited. The politician had a scowl on his face as he watched them walk away.

——

“That damned old man,” cursed Atsumu. He had been spewing a string of insults about the old man since they left the courtyard. “I could have him hung for treason because of those comments.”

His threat was as empty as his brain. Osamu had an uninterested look on his face. It was one that Atsumu knew too well. “You need to be more careful with your temper. What if I wasn’t there? How would that affect Kita-san’s reputation among the court?”

Atsumu huffed in frustration. He knew that he had to behave properly, for Kita. That didn’t make hearing insults about his partner easy to ignore.

“What if the old man insulted Sunarin?” He retaliated. “You would probably throw an abacus at him.”

The nobleman narrowed his eyes at his brother and ignored him once again. Atsumu only huffed in frustration and turned his head away.

The pair of brothers approached the palace temple’s entrance. Lanterns fenced the pathway, lighting up and darkening as they walked by. A faint wind chime could be heard as they came closer.

While the front of the estate was large and lavishly decorated, the palace temple was modest and tucked away in a bamboo forest. The temple itself sat on top of a hill -accessible only by climbing a steep spiral of stairs. But on top, sat the empire’s greatest structure. Bright red columns and intricate _kitsune_ statues decorated the doorway. Below the statues were its fixtures with _“Inarizaki”_ carved into the marble. The building was as tall as the bamboo trees, and its pagoda roofs were decorated with various charms and wind chimes. Each story had a large balcony wrapped around it. Usually, the twins would see one of the mages or students walking around, but today it was quiet.

Osamu walked up to the door; his brother waited a few steps away. As he was about to knock, it suddenly opened. No one seemed to be on either side of the double doors. As eerie as it looked to strangers, the twins were accustomed to such entrances when they visited the temple.

In the middle of the opened doors stood Suna, dressed in the same _kariginu_ he wore to the briefing. He had his hands folded into his sleeves and two will-o-wisps hovering around him. Atsumu felt a chill shoot up his spine; he never liked the will-o-wisps that loitered the temple grounds. They always teamed up with the young mage students to prank him.

“What brings such noble men to our humble shrine?” Suna asked with exaggerated mockery. He bowed deeply to drive his point.

To play along with his lover, Osamu bowed back. “Pardon our intrusion, it is our honor to be graced with your spiritual presence.” His tone filled with an equally exaggerated tone.

Atsumu wanted to gag.

“Is Kita-san back yet?” He asked impatiently. The samurai wanted nothing else but to run towards her quarters.

Suna held a blank expression on his face. “Kita-sama will return before the sun sets. She has a meeting with the seamstress - _for another kimono._ You should be aware of this, Atsumu.”

Despite the mage’s comment, Atsumu let out another frustrated huff as he walked past him. Osamu tried to grab him before he could march off to the seamstress’ room, but it seemed like his headstrong brother was a little faster. The nobleman let out, what seemed like, the hundredth sigh since they left the courtyard as he watched his brother throw a temper tantrum across the foyer. The mage approached him from behind and rested his chin on his shoulder.

“What will we ever do with him?” Suna asked defeatedly. He turned to look at Osamu’s profile. “I heard that he almost blew up on a senior politician.”

“He’s too reckless, but that’s what makes him invincible.”

——

Atsumu stomped towards the seamstress’ workroom and shoved the screen door aside aggressively. The apprentices and head seamstress whipped their heads to see the grumpy samurai; their expressions turned sour. They all knew that their work is about to be interrupted by an overgrown child throwing a temper tantrum.

Kita also turned to see her fiancé with a surprised expression; the priestess wasn’t expecting to see him until the tea ceremony later that evening. She was standing with her arms held up for the seamstresses to measure the kimono’s sleeve length. His face turned soft as he ran towards and kneeled on one knee in front of her.

“Shi -Kita-san, you were magnificent at today’s briefing!” Atsumu praised. His eyes shined with admiration.

The rest of the room slightly cringed; while the entire palace staff was used to Atsumu’s shameless affection for their priestess, it didn’t make it any more palatable. It didn’t help that Kita never minded and often indulged in her lover’s antics.

“Atsumu dear, it wasn’t anything fancy. I did what I usually do,” She smiled as she rested her hand on top of his head and smoothed out his disheveled hair. The samurai leaned into her touch with a disgustingly sweet smile.

“However,” Kita’s voice turned cold. Fear shivered up Atsumu’s spine. “I heard from Suna that there was an disagreement between you and Amai-san.”

The seamstress apprentices muffled their chuckles, causing the head seamstress to send them a scolding look. Kita looked up at her staff and nodded to dismiss themselves from the room. Once everyone shuffled out of the room and the screen door closed, Kita stepped down from the stool to sit down on a seat cushion. Atsumu kneeled before her once again, holding his head down in shame.

“Atsumu…”

The samurai straightened up his posture. “Yes, Kita-san.”

Her face held a passive yet intense expression. One Atsumu is extremely familiar with. It’s the one that he sees every time he and his brother are sent to the palace after fighting during state-mandated village visits or recruiting trips.

“Not all of my decisions are going to be unanimously supported by all politicians. That is why we have court meetings to debrief and debate on issues. They are entitled to their opinions.” Kita’s ability to get straight to the point without coaxing her words didn’t just apply to government matters. The young man couldn’t argue with her. “You do not have to get angry every time someone criticizes me.”

He knew; he knew that this was the case, but it didn’t make it any easier. “But, you didn’t hear the disgusting comments he made about you—”

“Atsumu, you knew that there would be comments about my gender when I was coronated,” Kita stated, as a matter of fact.

The samurai held his tongue; none of his counter-arguments would make sense, and he knew he was wrong to be angry on her behalf. Atsumu only shuffled towards his fiancé and rested his head on her lap. “I apologize for my behavior, Shin. I’ll learn to control my temper.”

Atsumu heard a sigh and felt the priestess’ hand smooth out his hair again.

“As long as you try.”

His heart felt giddy as he relaxed into her touch again. He suddenly noticed the ruby silk kimono he was resting on. _“Wow, they work fast.”_

Kita let out a small giggle as she watched her betrothed run his hands over the sleek fabric. As much as these fitting inconvenience her schedule, Atsumu’s reactions to the finished pieces always entertained her. Even though she now has a room full of expensive and decorated kimonos that has to be cleaned every other day to prevent moths.

“I didn’t need another kimono,” The priestess muttered. “Especially one so vibrant. It would be hard to wear this to meetings.”

“But darling,” Atsumu smirked. “I didn’t buy it for you to wear to meetings.”

“Ow!” He exclaimed as the bottom of Kita’s fist hit his forehead.

“Don’t be obscene, Atsumu.”

“But Shin -OW! Stop hitting me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is my first haikyuu fanfic! i love the atsukita dynamic so much and i love the idea of fem!kita. 
> 
> here is some info about the characters to clarify anything:  
> -Kita Shinsuke: Head Priestess; religious leader and empress. She came from a lineage of successful priests. Engaged to Miya Atsumu.  
> -Miya Atsumu: Samurai; teacher and headmaster of samurai training and certification. Him and his twin brother came from a noble and wealthy family. Engaged to Kita Shinsuke.  
> -Miya Osamu: Secretary of Agricultural Trade and Regulation; prevents unhygienic farm practices or market scams and regulates harvest prices. Him and his twin brother came from a noble and wealthy family. In a secret relationship with Suna Rintaro.  
> -Suna Rintaro: Imperial Mage; talented shaman and sorcerer. Born to a humble family who sold futons and cushions. In a secret relationship with Miya Osamu.  
> -Ojiro Aran: Imperial General; commander of the empire’s largest army and the most decorated general in the empire. Works directly with the priestess.  
> -Omimi Ren: Royal Advisor; in charge of regulating the court’s attendees and members. Kita’s right-hand man.  
> -Akagi Michinari: Imperial Mage; teacher of mage disciples and guardian of the palace temple.  
> -Ginjima Hitoshi: Army Lieutenant; works under Ojiro Aran. 
> 
> (osamu and suna also likes to torture their students and atsumu)


	2. Forbidden Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A tale of forbidden lovers: how Miya Osamu and Suna Rintaro met.

After the priestess shooed Atsumu out of the sewing room for the seamstresses to finish the kimono, he happily strutted down the hall towards the twins’ shared powder room to change out of his work kimono to his tea ceremony attire that the mages provided for him and his brother. The butlers in the room bowed to him as he entered, and he returned with a curt nod. Osamu was already putting on his formal clothes when he walked in.

The secretary’s face scrunched up in discomfort once he finished. “These tea ceremonies always take so long, and the clothes are heavy.”

“You’re just upset that there is never enough food for you to feel full,” his brother retorted as he finished up tying his _obi_. “Just be happy Suna can sit with you during this one.”

Osamu tutted and walked out of the room without waiting for his brother.

——

Among the imperial court, only close officials know about Suna and Osamu’s relationship. Their familes -aside from Atsumu, do not know anything about it either. They only saw each other when Osamu was able to visit the temple after work trips.

It was a belief among some older citizens that mages who were in romantic relationships were omens for disaster for the empire; those mages in relationships were arranged by the state in order to sustain a lineage of important mages. Mages who did not have a noble lineage were suppose to devote themselves to the temple and to caring for their priest or priestess.

However, with Shinsuke’s grandma’s coronation, she had allowed her mages to carry out their personal lives in peace as long as they didn’t let it interfere with their work. Many started families on temple grounds, where her grandmother had housing built for them to live peacefully. This didn’t mean that everyone were okay with two men starting a family together.

——

The twins arrived to the tea ceremony together, where the rest of the priestess’ personal officers waited. Kita’s seat was elevated from the rest of the court’s shared table, where she has her own table set up with a detailed ceramic tea set with hand-painted wisteria blooms and gold details. Atsumu’s seat at the court table is always left to the priestess’, as General Ojiro’s was always on the right. Since the rice harvest festival was around the corner, Osamu’s work was the main topic of the night and gets the seat of honor at the opposite end of the table to Kita. Suna was able to snag a seat near his lover by sneaking the footmen a talisman for good fortune. The two brothers slipped into their seats and began conversing with their comrades.

Suna looked up from his folded hands when his lover took his seat next to him. He offered a small smile when Osamu pouted and lifted his arms to show his heavy sleeves. On the other side of the secretary, Ginjima laughed at the sullen man’s motion.

“Osamu, you’re getting too spoiled with those light kimonos. Maybe you should start training with Atsumu’s armor.” He joked as he lifted his own arms up and down quickly. “These clothes are nothing compared to that.”

At the mention of his brother, Osamu scowled and waved off the lieutenant’s comments. “There’s a reason why I quit my father’s samurai training when we were kids. I would much rather do anything else.”

The mage propped his elbow on his leg and leaned his head in his hands; he thought of a young Osamu running off and hiding in the kitchen to steal extra snacks and chuckled. Osamu may be the more level-headed brother, but they still shared the same blood.

“Gin, never mind the clothes, tell us about the investigation on the yakuza in the northeastern region,” Osamu said as he tucked his hands into his sleeves and leaned back in his floor seat. The men continued conversing about their work and recent events while they awaited the priestess’ arrival.

——

Out of court’s members, Suna Rintaro was the odd one out. Everyone had connections to the imperial family with a long history of ancestral accomplishments. Akagi was from one of the most prominent mage families. Omimi’s family had served the Kita family for generations. Aran was from a family of military leaders, Ginjima -from a famous scholar’s family. And of course the Miya twins, who were from one of the most noble and wealthiest family in the empire, had the highest chances of being included on the current priestess’ imperial court since they were born..

Suna, who came from a middle class family that sold futons and cushions, was taken in by his hometown’s temple after he discovered that he could manipulate spiritual fire and will-o-wisps at the age of seven. His parents wanted him to learn how to control his skills. It was arranged after he accidentally lit a bamboo tree on fire in his backyard while his parents were away at work.

Rintaro was eventually promoted to the imperial temple when he was ten years old. He wasn’t particularly thrilled to leave his hometown and family, but his mage teachers encouraged his family to accept the offer. He often thought about the fact that his teachers only wanted to be able to say that one of their students were blessed enough to be recruited by the imperial mages. Nevertheless, his training continued in the enormous temple; he worked with the then-Princess Shinsuke on tending to the _Inari-kitsune_ offerings and regulating the spiritual flames that lit up the temple at night.

It was then when he met the Miya twins. The pair of brothers were infamous among the noble; they were both strong fighters and had endless potential in being warriors. They were guaranteed to be part of the future priestess’ imperial court since their grandfather sacrificed his life to protect Kita’s grandfather in war long ago. On one of their quarterly visits to Kita’s temple, 10-year-old Osamu bumped into Suna as he was carrying a tray of food offerings to the _Inari_ shrine.

“My bad,” the young noble said as he tried to stabilize the victim of his inattention. “Didn’t see ya there. You okay?”

The bottle of sake wobbled on the tray, and Suna tried to stop it with one of the will-o-wisps’ wind. He glared at the offender which caused the wind to follow his gaze. Chills ran down Osamu’s spine, and he shuttered when the wind blew his way.

 _Miya Osamu, son of the honorable Miya Hayato and young samurai-in-training._ Suna thought as stared at Osamu’s slightly worried expression.

“You should stay on the paths paved for guests. I don’t need to make another trip and waste more food for offerings.” The young mage muttered as he began to walk away.

Osamu didn’t know if his heart was racing because of the boy’s intense stare or because of the wind that passed through him. The curious boy looked at his brother and father, who were approaching closer to the temple and then looked back at the retreating figure disappearing into the bamboo forest. Osamu ran after the boy.

“Wait up!”

Suna stopped and turned back to give the young noble an unamused expression. “You can’t come with me, only Kita-san and I do the offerings.”

“But I almost ruined the gods’ food,” Osamu pouted. “I want to apologize so they don’t curse me.”

A sigh escaped the young mage’s mouth. “The gods aren’t going to curse you just because you bumped into me.”

Despite his refusal, Osamu took the tray from him and began walking. Suna stood there with his hands still held up in the position of holding the tray when Osamu stopped a few steps ahead of him and turned back.

“You coming? ‘Cause I don’t know where it is.”

——

Since it was early in the morning, the sun was slowly rising as the two boys walked together through the enchanted bamboo forest. Sun rays peaked through the leaves and branches and danced off the dew on the ground fauna. The hems of their clothes brushed and dragged against the soil. Osamu was looking around at the tall bamboo trees curiously -occasionally swinging his head when he hears bell chimes ring in different directions.

Most of their walk so far was silent. Suna folded his hands in his _hakama_ sleeves and kept his gaze low. He walked a few steps behind the young noble out of respect. He knew his manners when his hometown’s aristocrats came to visit his family’s shop, and it was safe to assume that he had to abide by those rules with other nobles as well. It does help that he didn’t want to get caught by Osamu as he stole some glances at the back of his head. Suddenly, he noticed Osamu stopped in his tracks. The young mage looked up to see him gripping the tray so tight he was shaking.

“You don’t have to walk behind me, I’m not my dad.” He muttered solemnly. “I won’t yell at you if you walk next to me.”

Within a heartbeat, Suna scurried up to stand near Osamu. The young mage was never good at consoling people, and he didn’t want to risk the other boy crying or anything. He only looked at him and nodded his head towards the direction of the shrine. “It’s nearby.”

Osamu’s face lit up, and the young mage offered a small smile in return.

“My name is Suna Rinataro, by the way.”

“Miya Osamu.”

“Miya-san—”

“You can call me Osamu,” The young noble interrupted. “It’s easier to tell who is talking to me or Atsumu if you call us by our first names.”

“Alright, Osamu-san. What made you tag along with me? I know it’s not to apologize to the gods about a tray of food that didn’t get knocked over,” Suna asked.

Osamu didn’t want to say it was because he thought the boy’s eyes were intriguing, and this would be much more interesting than sitting through his old man’s greetings. So he just shrugged. It seemed to satisfy Suna’s curiosity, or at least he didn’t seem like he wanted to keep trying to pry.

They chattered happily about their lives, telling stories from their hometown, comparing local games and food, and discussing their excitement about the mid-autumn festival. Without either of their knowledge, they had arrived at the shrine in no time.

The shrine that Kita and Suna were responsible for was deep in the bamboo forest; it’s the most isolated of the shrines that the student mages are responsible for, and it’s usually reserved for the priest in training and the top student mage. It was a large wooden fixture with a stone statue of an _Inari kitsune_ decorated with a vibrant red cloth collar and a key with a dangling accessory held in its mouth. In front of the statue were empty plates and a bamboo incense holder. Osamu placed down the try of food in front of the shrine, and both boys got down on their knees and said their prayers.

While the young noble said a few words to apologize to the gods for almost ruining their breakfast, when he opened his eyes he saw Suna still kneeling on the ground. His hands folded in front of him on the ground, and he held his head on top of his hands. Osamu could hear him incoherently muttering some prayers. Suddenly, sparks of purple flames fluttered towards the lanterns around the shrine, then the young mage slowly rose, and all the lanterns lit up in purple flames. To finish, Suna lit sticks of incense with fire from his fingers. When he turned over to see Osamu’s eyes about to pop out of his sockets.

“You…” He kept opening and closing his mouth in surprise. “Can shoot out fire?”

The young mage shrugged halfheartedly, “Yeah.” He began to collect the empty plates from the foot of the statue and replace it with the new offerings. “I thought you followed me out here to see me use it.”

The flabbergasted boy shook his head aggressively, and then stopped Suna’s work to hold his hands in his. Osamu started to examine the latter’s hands closely. “How did you do that?”

“I-it was something I was born with,” he stuttered, looking away but glancing back at Osamu.

Suna’s cheeked glowed pink as he watched the other. No one had ever held his hands this closely to their face; they were scared that he’d burn them. He turned his head away shyly. Slowly, the young mage pulled his hands back to finish cleaning the shrine. Osamu continued to look at Suna with intense curiosity.

“Can it shoot out of your feet?”

“Yeah, but I wear shoes so it wouldn’t—”

“Why is it purple?”

“Because it’s a spiritual fire. It comes from my body’s heat.”

“Does that mean you become cold every time you use it?”

“No—”

“Do you ever use it to cook things?”

“It doesn’t work that way—”

“Wait, does spiritual fire burn the same as normal fire?” Osamu asked inquisitively, rubbing his chin with his hand.

Suna sighed, realizing that the boy was too excited to realize his questions weren’t being fully answered. He finished cleaning up the shrine then sat crisscrossed in front of Osamu.

“Look, if you want answers, you need to listen to me before spouting more nonsense.”

Osamu straightened up and copied Suna’s sitting posture.

First, the young mage lit a small purple flame in his hand. “I was born with the ability to convert my body heat into a spiritual fire. The reason why it’s purple is inheritance. My great grandpa also had purple flames, so I got purple flames. It doesn’t burn things like fire anymore because I learned how to control it. If someone isn’t trained to tame it, it can burn down whole forests,” Suna explained. He summoned a will-o-wisp to hover over his shoulder. “Since I serve the kitsune gods and spirits, I work with the will-o-wisps. They help all the mages with their tasks and rituals. I can summon them at will as well.”

Osamu’s eyes shined with excitement, “They’re like your fated partners! That’s so cool!”

“Yeah, I guess,” Suna put out the fire and will-o-wisp. “But isn’t that like your brother? Twins are like destined partners. You and Atsumu-san are -you know- the strongest warrior twins in the empire.”

“That’s what my father wants everyone to believe, but I don’t want to become a samurai like him.” Osamu rubbed his neck sheepishly. “I think there’s a better way to serve my empire without having to fight.”

“My mom used to tell me that there was a better way to care for the empire: by caring for our people, creating prosperity for them, and paving a peaceful path for the future.” He said wistfully, relaxing his stance and looking up at the morning sky.

“I think that I’d be successful as a samurai; I’m just as good as my brother, and my family can help me get a high-ranking position. But I don’t care as much for it as him. I’d rather create a peaceful life for myself, away from the glory of war.”

Suna leaned his face into his palms and watched as Osamu reminisced happily. The sun shined ambers in his gray eyes, and the air around him sparkled with bliss. Suddenly, they both heard the faint sounds of the taiko drums from the temple. It was time for them to go back. Suna had to perform the rest of his duties, and Osamu had to go pay his respects to the priest and his daughter. Reluctantly, they got up from their spot and began their journey back.

Once they arrived, Suna walked the young noble back to main entrance. Just as he was walking away, he felt a tug at his wrist.

“Can I come see you again?”

The young mage turned back in surprise, “Excuse me?”

Osamu sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck and looked down at Suna’s wrist in his hand. “Could I… visit you again? It was nice to have someone to talk to outside of my brother. It can be whenever you have time, or something…”

For a second, Suna hesitated. The Miya residence was at least a half-day’s trip from the imperial temple. It was unlikely that Osamu’s father would allow him to waste a day to travel to visit a friend. _“… Oh well, what’s the harm in agreeing.”_

“Sure, just send a message a week in advance,” Suna nodded.

The young noble smiled so brightly, it rivaled the sun’s rays. He nodded excitedly before letting the other boy go. He finally entered the temple, turning back to wave bye to Suna. He offered a small bow before scurrying back to his quarters with the image of a smiling noble-boy in his mind.

——

Kita’s arrival signaled the official start of the ceremony. Servants came into pour tea and serve desserts for the court members as they discussed the rice harvest festival. They all celebrated another season of successful rice harvest for the empire. After the priestess honored the secretary’s work on all the regional harvest preparations, the court began to socialize among themselves.

Kita chatted merrily with her Atsumu and Aran about her appearance at the capital’s festival, Omimi and Ginjima discussed the results of the most recent yakuza investigations, and Osamu and the mages were gossiping about Kita’s and Atsumu’s wedding preparations.

“Kita-san isn’t too fond of such a public ceremony,” Akagi said as he popped a piece of _dango_ into his mouth.

Osamu and Suna looked at each other and rolled their eyes. “Atsumu’s so excited to show off their matrimony, he could barely contain himself when he heard Omimi tell them that Kita-san’s grandmother requested it.” Osamu said.

The fellow mage continued to stuff his mouth with more _dango._ “When will you two tie the knot?”

Suna, who was in the middle of drinking his tea, choked a little. Akagi patted Suna’s back in order to help him stop choking and apologized to the embarrassed couple while laughing. The secretary’s face turned red. They looked at each other and looked away.

“Sorry, you two didn’t seem the type to be so shy about it.” The mage said as he continued stroking Suna’s back in comfort. “It seems like you guys have been together long enough for you to settle down now.”

Suna set down his cup and cleared his throat, “We don’t know if we can have one yet.”

“Oh?” Akagi looked between the couple curiously. “Why?”

The younger mage narrowed his eyes at his lover. Osamu’s face contorted. He hid his face away with his cup. The elder mage realized it was a sensitive subject and dropped the conversation.

The ceremony ended in the late hours of the night. Kita’s handmaids escorted her back to her quarters after Atsumu bid her a reluctant good night. The rest of the court walked together towards the main entrance hall of the temple. They all split and walked towards their individual guest rooms on the imperial estate. The twins were walking together towards their neighboring rooms when Osamu felt a tug on his wrist. He stopped to see his lover looking at him with an expression reserved for serious discussions. Atsumu also looked back to see the couple; he tapped his twin’s shoulder to let him know he was going ahead before leaving the two alone.

Osamu and Suna took a back hallway to Suna’s room. It was designed for the mages to travel across them temple quickly without interrupting the guests that stayed on the estate; it was only accessed by mages who had a special key made by the priestess’ family. They walked quietly beside each other, letting the moonlight illuminate the path.

The two sat on the tatami floors across from each other. Once they settled in the mage’s room, Osamu broke the silence.

“I know you want to get married,” he said carefully. “And that you want to start a family soon.”

“You’re making assumptions,” Suna replied coldly. “We’ve never discussed such matters.”

“Rin—”

“Osamu. Why is it so hard for you to be proud of us?” The mage fiddled with the hems of his sleeves. “Why can’t you be proud of me like Atsumu is with Kita-san?”

He knew; Osamu knew it was difficult for Suna to hide their relationship from his family since Osamu hid it from his. He grabbed the mage’s trembling hands and pulled him into a tight embrace.

“Rintaro,” the secretary’s tone was sweet. “There is no one I’m prouder of than you. Please, if anything, please remember that.”

Suna melted in his lover’s arms, abandoning the topic for now. They stayed there for a while. Osamu understood it wasn’t the end of their discussion, but right now, he was able to be with his partner -away from their colleagues, away from society’s judgement, and away from his family’s problems.

For a moment, it wasn’t a scandalous affair between imperial court members or two men -it was just two lovers embracing each other under the gleam of the moonlight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a very long but important chapter! something i wanted to highlight in this story is how lgbt stories often get erased or rewritten in history, so that's why osamu and suna's relationship is the only m/m ship in the story. osamu's quiet love for suna contrasts to atsumu's loud love for kita but both brothers are incredibly proud of their lovers. next chapter will feature more atsukita :))
> 
> also! thank you for the all the kudos on my first story! it's my first time using ao3, and i appreciate it a lot! <3


	3. A Samurai's Responsibility

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Samurai and Headmaster Miya Atsumu's day in the capital.

Atsumu’s room filled with the rays of the sunrise. He stirred awake, staring angrily at the open window as he gained consciousness. During the rice harvest season, the samurai had to make trips to the capital’s academies to conduct exams for incoming samurai students. He wanted nothing more but to laze around the imperial estate, bother his twin’s work, and see his fiancée in between her duties. Unfortunately, work was work.

After Atsumu freshened up, he dressed in his nicest _hakama,_ made sure his _daisho_ swords were securely attached, and started styling his hair. It was his usual attire when he visited the samurai academies in the capital; as the empire’s youngest headmaster and of his hometown’s largest samurai academy, his reputation among the students was important to him.

First on the day’s agenda was morning tea with Kita. She had promised him some time alone in the morning before the samurai was forced to travel around the capital for work. Atsumu’s mood always improved whenever he was able to start his day seeing Kita. He stepped out of his quarters, only to run into Osamu walking back to his room in an unfamiliar _yukata_.

“Where did you run off to last night?” He asked his disheveled brother in amusement. “I didn’t hear you return to your room.”

Osamu let out an annoyed _tsk._ “Are you my mom?”

“I have to make sure my brother isn’t tainting our empire’s most sacred mage before marriage.” He teased, dodging the secretary’s swing after he made his comment. Osamu entered his room, slamming the screen door shut to make a point.

——

The samurai waited in one of the temple’s tea rooms patiently. He was sifting through scrolls of student transcripts ahead of the entrance exam. It was tedious, and Atsumu would rather be in the classroom with his students again; back then, he had much more free time to come to the capital to visit Kita. Nowadays, his visits were for work.

The tea room’s screen doors slid open and two footmen announced her entrance. She was dressed in a maple-colored floral kimono with a pale yellow _obi_ wrapped around her waist. Atsumu’s heart fluttered; it seemed like every time he saw her, his admiration for Kita grew a little more. He set down his work and walked over to escort her to the table.

“Atsumu, you don’t need to walk me to the table,” Kita laughed as he fluffed her seat cushion before gesturing her to sit.

“Nonsense, what kind of gentleman would I be if I didn’t?” The samurai teased before returning to his seat across the table. “I only get a few chances to see you, so I have to make sure you’re still interested in me. Don’t want ya changing your mind before the wedding day.”

“I assure you,” the priestess smoothed out the skirt of her kimono as she sat down. “Your years of courtship wouldn’t go to waste simply because we don’t see each other as often as we used to.”

Atsumu felt his heart squeeze in his chest. “ _Could she be any cuter?”_ He thought as he stared at her adoringly.

The waiters entered the room to serve them tea and breakfast. An array of side dishes were placed on the table and a bowl of rice in front of them. Kita thanked them before the waiters left the room. The couple said their prayers and started eating.

“What’s your schedule like today? I hope Omimi-san isn’t overworking you.”

“I don’t have much to do today, but I am traveling south to visit Granny’s close former mage. He is turning 90 this week,” Kita replied. “I’ll be home late this evening.”

The samurai pouted; he was hoping to see Kita after work and take her on a stroll in the butterfly garden. It was around the time the roses and chrysanthemum bloomed; the cosmos had already, and the capital had a huge field of them. Atsumu had already planned a picnic for them in the afternoon. He started mumbling disappointedly, picking at the vegetables in his bowl.

“What’s wrong, love?” The priestess asked, knowing that her lover didn’t like her long work days when he was staying at the temple.

He kept pouting, “I wanted to be able to enjoy this year’s blooms with you before I have to return to my hometown.”

Kita smiled softly, watching her big baby of a fiancé sulk. In public, the samurai was seen as prideful and arrogant. He was respected and revered for his tremendous talent and skill; it wasn’t every day someone as young as him was overseeing esteemed academies and teaching dozens of student samurai across the empire. If only everyone saw how childish Atsumu could be around her. 

“I’ll see if I can convince Omimi to free up an afternoon this week for you,” She offered. “But I can’t guarantee anything.”

Atsumu’s mood immediately brightened. Now, he merrily ate his meal. He then went on about his agenda for the day and talking about the students he wanted to visit. The samurai rambled on about different students he found qualified for the imperial army or interesting characters that made him laugh. Kita listened intently, nodding her head and chiming in whenever she had an opinion or comment about anything.

“I think Sama Kunihiko would be a good candidate for Ginjima’s battalion, and I believe he’s finishing his training this year.”

The priestess moved her portion of fatty tuna onto Atsumu’s plate; he happily accepted it. “The Sama family is in the northeastern region, right? He would be able to stay near his family too.”

Atsumu nodded, refilling his fiancée’s tea cup. “They were the ones that reported the yakuza for smuggling in Western drugs.”

“Ginjima-san briefly mentioned that in his report last week. I haven’t heard any updates on that case,” Kita said as she sipped her tea.

“We’re going to scout a china shop in Fujimoto that has rumors of ties to a high-ranking yakuza member,” the samurai grabbed a scroll from his pile and unraveled it to show Kita. “I believe he’s wrapping up his investigation soon, so you’ll hear more about it next week.”

She hummed in acknowledgement before calling over the waiters to come clear their table. Atsumu wrapped up his scrolls and bundled them in his bag.

——

They walked together to the courtyard with the priestess’ handmaids walking behind them. Kita held onto her fiancé’s arm; he kept it bent and close to his body. He kept chatting about how excited he was to see his students’ progress since he last visited. She continued listening, admiring the proud glow on Atsumu’s face.

Omimi was waiting beside Kita’s carriage when the couple arrived. Atsumu’s horse was also there, munching on something the student mages probably gave him. The samurai helped Kita into the carriage, ensuring her kimono didn’t get caught on the edges. He kissed her hand and gave her a loving expression before closing the carriage door. Atsumu then turned to Kita’s royal advisor, giving him a cold stare.

“Omimi-san, I trust that you’ll ensure Kita-san’ll return unharmed.” He said with a serious expression. Kita chuckled; he looked like a puppy trying to be a wolf to her.

The older official only bowed to the samurai; Omimi knew it was said to ease Atsumu’s mind. “Her safety is always my utmost priority.”

Satisfied, Atsumu climbed onto his horse. “Then I wish both of you safe travels.”

——

As Atsumu was leaving the temple grounds, he ran into Osamu and Suna on his brother’s horse. The mage sat with both legs on one side and had his arms wrapped around Osamu’s waist.

 _“How is it that no one knows about these two? They’re so obvious.”_ Atsumu thought as they approached the samurai, pacing their horse beside his. He had half the mind to quicken his pace.

“Visiting your students today, Atsumu?” The secretary asked.

Atsumu nodded, trying to pay attention to both the road and his brother. “I’m overseeing the new crop of aspiring samurai,” He waved one hand around with an unenthusiastic flourish.

“Then I’ll accompany you part way to the academy. I have to visit the embassy today too.” Osamu said, pulling on the reins to turn. “Wait for me at the gate, I’m going to drop off Suna in front of the shrine entrance.”

It wasn’t like Atsumu had a choice at this point, so he motioned an _okay_ and continued moving towards the entrance. He tried to admire how beautiful the rest of the estate looked during this time of year while keeping an eye on the road.

They had decorated the grounds in honor of the rice harvest: cream-colored lanterns strewn the trimming of the walkways and flower garlands wrapped around all the posts. While the entrance was lined with wisteria trees, large maple trees were planted across the inside of the estate. Large red and burnt-orange leaves were starting to fall; it reminded Atsumu of all the times him and his brother would collect them to give to their mother.

He broke out of his nostalgia when he heard some of the groundsmen greeted him. The samurai waved back, reminding them to take a break to warm up. Then he saw them turn to greet another figure approaching; it was Osamu galloping towards the latter. He also waved back at them before slowing his horse next to Atsumu.

“Ready to go?” The secretary asked, readjusting his headpiece that shifted while he was speeding across the estate.

“I was the one waiting on you,” Atsumu pulled on his reigns and started moving ahead. “Let’s go.”

——

Osamu left his brother at his turn towards the embassy. The nobleman normally spent his days there if he wasn’t traveling to inspect the rice farms and markets or dealing with the international trade. Atsumu could never imagine himself being stuck behind a desk like that.

The samurai’s day at the imperial academy started with visiting the courtyard full of students practicing archery. His favorite junior samurai was leading the class today, and Atsumu wanted to pay him a visit. Many junior level samurai work around the capital academy as interns; they are usually in charge of small lesson plans and grading.

“Shoyo-kun!” The headmaster called out cheerfully. “How ya doin’?”

Hinata paused helping one of the students with his posture and waved back excitedly. He turned back and ordered them to salute the senior samurai. His students greeted Atsumu formally, keeping their head down as the headmaster walked over.

Their teacher motioned for them to hold their heads back up and go back to practice. The two samurai chatted along the sidelines about the upcoming entrance exams and finals. The younger knew that he had to try to pander to Atsumu, since he’d be the one determining whether his students would be able to graduate from the academy. As Hinata was animatedly bragging about one of his top students, an invitation appears in front of him. He looked up at his senior with a confused look on his face.

“Is this…” Hinata took the invitation, flipping the document around in his hand curiously. “Your wedding invitation?”

“Yep,” Atsumu rolled back and forth on his heels, trying to contain his excitement. “The date was finalized a while ago, but we just got the invitations.”

“You weren’t listening to me talk at all, were you Atsumu-san?” The younger deadpanned, tucking the invitation away.

Atsumu chuckled guiltily before turning to walk off, “I look forward to your attendance Shoyo-kun!”

——

The headmaster stretched his stiff arms. He had been grading and signing exams all morning, and the last applicant had just finished. Atsumu moved over a pile of scrolls and picked up a small portrait of Kita. He stared at it adoringly, running his thumb over the picture gently; this was usually the only way he’d get through days where the samurai wanted nothing more but to stay at the temple with her all day.

Atsumu’s thoughts were interrupted by a loud _thud_ and an enthusiastic Ginjima barging into the office.

“Atsumu, stake-out time.” The lieutenant exclaimed before strolling out excitedly.

The samurai sighed, tucking his bride-to-be’s portrait under his pile of documents before pushing himself up from his seat to follow Ginjima. Outside the academy was one of the imperial carriages with the army’s emblem carved into the back. Atsumu handed him an invitation as they were boarding.

“You really think this was the right time to be handing out wedding invitations?” Ginjima asked amusingly, placing the document in his bag. “I felt like the head priestess’ wedding invitations would arrive with a more flourish.”

Atsumu shrugged, leaning back and stretching his arms across the backs of the seat. “Our extended families and some friends will be getting the formal stuff, but she got this idea after her visit to the West. Kita-san liked the idea of writing out personal invitations to our close friends and family.”

“Well, I’m honored that Her Majesty deemed me worthy of a personal invitation, but there’ll be a time for festivities. Today’s matters are business.” The lieutenant handed Atsumu a wrapped scroll. “We’re going to be going in as potential clients. You’re looking for a gift for Kita-san, try to look for something that looks pricey.”

The samurai unraveled the scroll; it was a collection of testimonies from residents around the china shop. Mostly that the inventory suddenly consisted of more pricey tea sets that were from elite shops in the capital, and the owner being suddenly wealthy despite low sales for the last 2 years.

“The owner will begin to show them more expensive sets he got from the Yakuza after clients look interested in the fancy ones. We might be able to figure out where it came from if we have an idea of the artisan who made it.” Ginjima leaned forward to point out a particular section of the report. “Sama Yoshimochi, the one that reported the Yakuza’s drug ring in the northeast, he was able to figure out the sales after visiting the town’s pharmacist to inquire about some Western medicine for a patient. The new owner took him back to show him their stash of opioids. Maybe they pick out potential clients based on wealth.”

Atsumu rubbed his chin inquisitively, “Won’t the china shop owner be suspicious of the priestess’ fiancé? Especially since I’m buying something illegal that would sit in the palace. He’d be wary that I’d report him.”

“He won’t say where’d the pieces came from, if he’s smart. He would show you the most expensive pieces, saying that they’re from outside the empire. Probably’ll try to woo you with how ‘exotic’ it is.”

“I don’t know Gin,” the samurai feigned hesitance, picking at the edge of the paper. “Using my bride’s good name in such a way… doesn’t sit well with me.”

Ginjima sighed; he knew Atsumu didn’t usually mind doing missions like this, so he knew what his friend wanted. “I’ll see if I can get Aran to provide some security for a date in the village in exchange, if that’s what you trying to get at.”

“Bingo,” Atsumu snapped his fingers and started laughing when the lieutenant threw another scroll at him.

——

The china shop had a humble appearance. It resided behind the village’s markethouse and would be easily missed if someone wasn’t looking for it. There were small trees around the store, so it hid any signs that indicated a shop was there. The carriage halted a little away from the store, parking near some grass and a watering trough for the horses. Atsumu and Ginjima climbed down; the lieutenant tucked his documents away in a case before signaling to enter the store.

“Welcome in,” The shop attendant greeted with a polite smile. “What can we do for you gentlemen today?”

Atsumu began to browse around while Gin answered the attendee’s questions. The testimonies seemed to be accurate. Some of the sets seemed to be appropriate for working families, being plain but of sturdy material made to last. The colors weren’t as vibrant and the designs weren’t as intricate as anything made for the imperial or noble families. However, there were many new sets that seemed out of place. They gleamed in the light, and some even could compare to the pieces his mother had in their armoire back home.

“Miya-san,” The shop owner approached the samurai with an artificial warmness. “I’m surprised that you’re paying Fujimoto a visit today, what brings you to my humble store?”

He returned the shop owner an equally fake smile.

“As you may know, I’m in the capital to pay Kita-sama a visit. I wanted to bring her an offering worthy of beauty.” Atsumu picked a particularly fancy-looking cup and brought it up to the light to examine it. “I only pick the best for her, and I’ve heard from some officials at the briefing that your shop has a fresh selection of exquisite tea sets.”

“Hmm,” He walked around a counter to pull down some sets from a shelf. “There might be a few sets here that I have reserved for noblemen such as yourself.”

The tea sets from the shelf were well-made but were from local artisans. The shopkeeper opened up a leather case that held a plain white tea set with gold details. It seemed like it were for high-class families like Ginjima’s or Aran’s but not fit to be presented to the head priestess.

“I’m honored to be referred by such high ranking noblemen, but I don’t believe that I have anything that would be worthy of Kita-sama, as you can see.” He shut the case and stored them back in their original place. “This is my nicest piece in the shop currently.”

Gin’s ears perked when he heard the shopkeeper. Excusing himself from his conversation with the attendee, the lieutenant moved to join the conversation. This wasn’t going as planned. However, it looked like his friend was ready to put on the theatrics and advance the investigation.

Atsumu dramatically huffed. “What a waste,” He turned when he heard Gin approaching. “I made it a point to travel out here with Lieutenant Ginjima for my bride. I heard that your shop had unique tea sets, and I was willing to compensate handsomely. She has been interested in collecting some ceramic sets for _each_ of our tearooms, but I guess we could try another place in town.”

It was almost like money symbols appeared in the shop owner’s eyes but before he realized, the pair began to walk towards the door. Atsumu even made a point to tip the storefront worker for her time before walking out. It wasn’t even ten seconds after Atsumu and Ginjima walked out when the storeowner followed, calling them back into the store.

“I might be able to take a look at my backstock, if you could give me a moment,” The shop owner called out.

The samurai and lieutenant looked at each other smugly before turning around and walking back into the shop. They were sat in a ceremony room and were served some tea while they waited.

“Gin,” Atsumu examined their cups. It had an unusual seal on the bottom. “Make a note of this seal once we go back to the carriage.”

The lieutenant nodded. The shop owner entered the room with a tall pile of cases in his arms; his attendant trailed behind him with a few extra. Atsumu drank his tea while watching them open each case on a table. Once they finished, the two court officers began browsing. The samurai tried to make note of any pieces that seemed peculiar, or at least something that didn’t look like it was from their empire. None so far stuck out to him. Atsumu peeked over at his friend, and it didn’t seem like anything caught his eye either.

Suddenly, there was a gleam under the light of the lanterns. As opposed to the Inarizaki-style short ceramic cylindrical cups with the design painted on, this set had slightly longer ones with the design etched into it. Might be from an Itachiyama village.

“That one was from one of my travels outside the empire,” The shop owner commented. “It was said to be made by an artisan that works for the Komori family in Itachiyama. It was pricey to commission him to make me something, so I only show that one to clients I think are worthy of it.”

 _“Bingo,”_ Atsumu thought. “How much are you thinking?”

“10,000 yen and 2 rice vouchers. It took a lot of resources to get there.”

Gin visibly cringed at the price. _“Osamu’ll kill ya for accepting such an ugly deal.”_

Without his overbearing brother, Atsumu took the deal without second thought. Gin wasn’t looking forward to hearing the secretary’s lecture later. However, the shop owner seemed thrilled and started packing their purchase. The samurai also selected a set that seemed fancy enough for the temple.

 _“Let’s hope that that’s the last one he picks, or else the he’s gonna be broke.”_ The lieutenant thought as he watched his friend continue to browse.

The pair left the shop with an armful of tea set cases each. Atsumu had chosen to buy enough to give to his parents and his extended family. The driver helped them pack away the cases securely, and they began to make their way back to the imperial estate.

“You’d better pray that Kita-sama won’t be mad at all the things you’re bringin’ her.” Gin said once they settled into their seats. He began to sketch out the seal from the teacup.

Atsumu moved to lean towards the window, pulling back the curtains. “No, it’s more like I’d better pray Osamu won’t throw his abacus at me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> extra long chapter i've been working on instead of studying for my finals. the plot is starting to develop a little, if you can tell haha. i hope y'all look forward to the next chapter! hopefully i'll have it sooner than later now that my quarter is done.  
> (i'm so sad that this season's almost over; i don't know what to do without my weekly inarizaki content.)


	4. The Priestess and the Fox

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kita Shinsuke returns from her visit to the south.

“You, what?!” Osamu exclaimed angrily. The butt of his abacus already making hard contact with his twin’s forehead. “I knew you were stupid, but to give away FIVE RICE VOUCHERS on TEA SETS. Are you crazy?!”

Ginjima stood against the wall of Osamu’s office, watching the brothers argue. He wanted to stay out of it for as long as possible; General Ojiro would be joining them soon —maybe he’d be able to break up the twins’ fight.

“Why’re ya being so stingy?!” Atsumu retorted as he tried to rub the pain away. “It was for the investigation! And I got us stuff to bring to Ma!”

“Ya could’ve been more thoughtful about the deal. Do you know how hard it is for our farmers to harvest that much rice you wasted on tea sets? Negotiate, you dumbass!” The secretary began to throw stationary at his brother’s head.

Atsumu began to run around the room to dodge the flying objects. The only times Osamu got worked up like this was when it involved wasting food. The samurai’s pride, however, would not allow him to accept the punishment.

“You’re gonna pay out of pocket for today’s expenses!”

“Samu! How’re ya gonna expect me to afford that? I’m gettin’ married soon!”

“Then you should’ve thought of that before buying so much bullshit for no reason! You could’ve stopped at the one set you needed!”

Aran slipped into the room quietly, tapping the lieutenant on the shoulder when he entered. He gestured questioningly at the twins, who were chasing each other around the room at this point. Gin just shrugged and handed him the report book. Aran accepted it and began reviewing the contents while the sounds of Atsumu’s despair filled the background.

“Attention,” the general called out as he continued to flip through the report.

The twins stopped fighting and kneeled down on one knee in front of the general. Ginjima followed suit. Even though the twins didn’t have to answer to General Ojiro, he was Kita’s righthand man and a senior warrior they’ve known since childhood.

“You can join me in my office.”

The men walked over to the general’s office; its walls lined with certificates and awards. A low table was set up in the middle of the spacious room with tea and _daifukumochi_ served. Osamu’s cranky disposition quickly disappeared. He helped himself to a piece and began munching on it.

“Good job catching that seal, Atsumu.” Aran shut the book and placed it on the meeting table.

“Thank you, General.” Atsumu filled their teacups. “Where do ya think it’s from?”

“Definitely somewhere in Inarizaki, but it’s unclear whether it’s Yakuza.”

Ginjima began to ponder where a seal like that could be from; it didn’t look like anything in his region. The seals found on the baskets of drugs he confiscated were the same one from the other cases he oversaw. Could it be that another group has moved into the leadership vacancy in the region once the lieutenant caught enough of the previous members’ crimes?

The secretary was still chewing on a piece of _daifukumochi_ as he moved the book to face him and opened it up. “That kinda looks like Amai Shunmyo-san’s stamp from Takagata by the river. I see it in my field reports.”

A vein on Atsumu’s forehead twitched at the mention of the politician’s name. Echos of his insults about the samurai’s lover ran through his brain.

“Maybe it was a gift from his family to that china shop owner?” Gin suggested. “He did serve us tea with those cups, so it’s not like the owner’s selling them.”

Aran leaned back and crossed his arms. He closed his eyes to try to sort out the information. It wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for friends or acquaintances to gift each other things, but it would be irresponsible of him to dismiss the possibility of treason.

“Well, I’m suspicious. Amai Shunmyo has been very outspoken about not liking Kita-san.” Atsumu huffed in anger, taking an aggressive bite out of a piece of _mochi_.

“Not liking Kita-san isn’t a crime, Tsumu.”

“Then it should be!”

“Enough,” General Ojiro pushed the two brothers away from each other, as they were leaning across the table. “It’s something we’ll keep an eye on, but it doesn’t seem like it relates to the Yakuza in the Northeast. I’m gonna pass this information on to an officer in Takagata, and I’ll inform you guys on what happens.”

The twins reluctantly sat back down. The lieutenant sighed heavily; he’s been dealing with their fighting since they got back from Fujimoto.

“What about the tea sets, General?” Ginjima asked.

“They’ll be sent to be examined before releasing it back to Atsumu, since he’s paying for them.”

“Hey!” The said samurai exclaimed.

“Do you want them or not?”

Atsumu remained silent for a bit, sulking. “… Fine.”

The general called for some soldiers to move the chinaware from the carriage to the forensics team. Ginjima had to finalize his reports, so he excused himself from the room as soon as they finished up the meeting. Soon, it was just the twins walking back to Osamu’s office.

“Hey, Samu,” Atsumu glanced over at his brother. “What do you think of the situtation?”

Osamu shrugged. “I can’t say if Amai-san is a traitor, but I do know that the recent evasion left his town’s people more vulnerable. They have a rich crop of resources that border another empire.”

The samurai couldn’t argue with that kind of logic, but he wasn’t ready to back down. “This is the safety of my future wife and our nation at stake. I’m not taking any risks.”

——

Atsumu spent his afternoon in his brother’s office, doing paperwork and creating lesson plans. It wasn’t like there was anything for him to do at the estate while Kita was away. The samurai had hoped to bother his twin while he worked, but he was already in too deep.

Osamu’s abacus clicked as he went through his reports. He wasn’t great at literature or general math, but food and statistics about food were a different story. The secretary could write poetry about a rice grain so beautiful, it would be mistaken for a letter to his lover. He couldn’t tell you how to do long division, but Osamu could calculate (to the hundredth’s of a gram) how much rice could feed a family and its worth in currency. Once he got into the flow of his work, there was no way the secretary would stop until he finishes. It’s gotten Osamu into a lot of trouble with his parents and Suna.

“Samu,” Atsumu whined. “When’s the carriage comin’?”

“Sundown, stop your whining. I’m almost done. Why didn’t ya take your horse back?” Osamu ruffled his hair in frustration as he tried to calculate something while replying to his brother.

“The soldiers took it back to the palace.” He balanced the bamboo calligraphy brush on his finger. “Didn’t think you’d take this long, but I should’ve expected it.

Atsumu got up from the desk and started wandering around his brother’s office. It seemed that Osamu decorated the room a little more. A portrait of the imperial family hung on the wall of every room at the embassy. There were now portraits of the Miya family sitting on the built-in shelf. He had a few pots of different flowers and bonsai trees as well. The samurai noticed there was one person missing from the decor.

“Where’s Sunarin’s portrait? I usually carry Kita-san’s with me.” Atsumu adjusted one of the pots.

The secretary looked up from his work with an unimpressed look on his face. “Don’t you think it’d be, I don’t know, kinda weird for me to carry a man’s portrait around?”

Atsumu stared back blankly. _“Oh yeah…”_

“Sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

They went back to silence. Osamu continued his work. The samurai didn’t want to push his brother to come out to their parents, but he knew Suna would impress them. Might not be a woman, but it’s not like they wouldn’t get grandkids from Kita and Atsumu. Plus, Suna was an imperial officer and the most talented mage in the land. What’s not to like about him? (Besides the fact that he lives to torture Atsumu, but that was more a personal problem.)

“Suna wants to get married,” his brother said as he stood up to put on his jacket.

Atsumu, who was still messing around with the potted plants, turned to stare at his brother in disbelief. “He does?”

“Yeah, so I’m plannin’ on taking Suna back home after the festival and introducin’ him to mom and dad.” He shut his register book and tucked it under his arm. “Then I’ll come to visit his family.”

Osamu handed Atsumu his jacket, and the other accepted it -still surprised. He knew his brother was nervous about telling people about their relationship.

“You gonna be okay?” He asked, his face twisting with worry.

The secretary nodded, giving his brother a rare smile. “The carriage should be here now, let’s get going.”

——

The sun had set long ago, and the moon hung high in the sky. It was a clear night with bright stars dancing around; the countryside was quiet and peaceful. The rice paddies stilled, allowing a clear reflection of the starry night on the surface water.

Kita’s carriage trotted down the rough roads, with guard horses in front and behind her. She sat silently in her seat, back straight and eyes closed. Across from her was Omimi, reading through reports and schedules. Their commute home would take a while since they travelled to the southern border of the empire, but the capital was up north. The priestess had been blessing the temples in the area after she paid her respects to her grandmother’ former mage; her energy was running low.

“ _I wonder if Atsumu is doing well… Maybe he’ll have some stories to tell from the investigation in Fujimoto. Osamu must be swamped in paperwork for the festival. Akagi’s students should be preparing for the rice harvest too. I bet Suna’s taken up the responsibility of tormenting them with incantation practice.”_

Her thoughts were interrupted by an abrupt stop; it rocked the carriage. Omimi immediately held onto the priestess to ensure her safety, looking out the window to see what was going on.

“What’s happening out there?” The advisor demanded. Kita placed her hands on his shoulders to let him know that she was fine and that he could let go.

No response.

Omimi opened the carriage door and peered out. Instead of seeing a guard or footman, he was met with an arrow being shot into his shoulder. He fell back into the carriage in pain. Blood spilled from his wound, soiling his clothes.

“Ren!” Kita tried to catch him, only to be pushed away when another arrow was shot in between them. It grazed her bangs, cutting the tips as she moved back.

“Get down!” Omimi yelled. “I’ll go check on the guards, just stay down!”

The priestess simply obeyed her advisor and stay low to the floor of the carriage. He struggled to get up, but eventually got back onto his feet. The advisor stepped out of the carriage to try and find a guard. It seemed like the one in front them got cut off, and the footmen were nowhere to be found. The horses were still there, seemingly unharmed. On the back of the carriage was a note shot into the wood with an arrow. He ripped it off and tucked it into his shirt pocket.

“Omimi-san!” The guard that trailed behind them galloped towards the carriage on his horse. “We’re being ambushed, grab Kita-sama and run!”

Before his mind could react, Omimi went back in and grabbed Kita. As she was being pulled out of the carriage and shielded by her advisor, the priestess’ _kimono_ got caught on the wheel —causing it to rip as she pulled it out. Omimi helped her onto one of the horses. There was no time to think about what to do: the only objective was to ensure his empress’ safety. As he tried to climb in front of her, she stopped him.

“You’re in no shape to control the reins, let me,” Kita said, pulling him to get on behind her. The ripped dress allowed her to mount onto the saddle properly.

“But, Kita-sama—”

“Ren, there’s no time. Just get behind me and hold on.”

With reluctance, Omimi obeyed her orders and held onto the priestess as she whipped the horse’s reins. They took off, galloping across rough country roads. Arrows continued to fire at them, but the priestess shot out blue flames and incinerated them before they could reach the two.

The advisor turned back to see their abandoned carriage; he saw a figure of a man appear in front of it. He wore a fox spirit mask. He lit a match, threw it behind him, and set the carriage on fire.

——

Atsumu was lounging in the mage’s quarters with his brother and Suna. All three of them had changed into housewear and were under a _kotatsu._ They were playing mahjong, and Osamu was winning.

“Samu, I swear, I’m never lettin’ you choose game night ever again.” He complained as his brother delivered the winning move and merrily collected the contents of the victory pot.

Suna laughed and ruffled his lover’s hair. He stared at Osamu’s happy face lovingly.

“You’re just jealous my lover’s the smarter twin,” He singsonged to Atsumu, who was fuming with competitive jealousy.

“Hey! We’re equally as smart!” Atsumu retorted, slamming his hands on the mahjong table. “We’re just smart at different things!”

The lighthearted evening was interrupted by the sudden entrance of a heaving imperial guard. He had slammed the screen door open, startling the three of them. The men all stared at the guard in surprise.

“Kita-sama’s carriage was ambushed.”

There was a moment of silence: the calm before the storm. Before his brother could stop him, Atsumu rushed past the guard and out of the room. Osamu and Suna quickly followed the hot-headed samurai, knowing fully well where he was heading off to.

“You can’t just rush out there, you don’t even know where she is!” Osamu yelled as his brother entered his practice room to grab his weapons.

“I can’t just leave Shinsuke to die,” Atsumu began to tie his swords onto his _obi._

“She is fully able to protect herself, and Omimi’s with her.” Suna tried to block the entrance with his arms spread out. “Kita-san wouldn’t want you to get hurt either.”

The samurai was getting heated; he pushed past the mage aggressively. “What kind of man would I be if the idea of getting hurt stopped me from protecting my lover?”

Osamu rolled his eyes in despair and continued to chase after him. Atsumu forced his way towards the stables despite his brother and the mage trying to pull him back. By the time they reached the exit, they heard a palace worker yell, “Kita-sama has returned to the capital!” Atsumu began to run towards the courtyard, pulling the other two along with him.

——

The two entered the capital and greeted the stunned soldiers and guards at the entrance. She was 1) riding a horse, 2) carrying a bleeding Omimi, and 3) in an unkempt appearance. The hems of her sleeves were burnt, the skirt of her dress was torn apart, and her crown had fallen off her head. The priestess ordered them to escort her advisor to the infirmary immediately. Once they got Omimi off the horse, they ushered the priestess back to the imperial palace.

When Kita arrived at the estate, Atsumu, Suna, and Osamu rushed towards her. More like, Atsumu was running towards Kita with the other two running after him. She got off the horse, handing the reins off to the stable attendant. Her fiancé took her up into his arms and held her tightly.

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” Atsumu whispered softly, treading his fingers into her hair and holding her head close to his chest.

Kita, who would’ve normally rejected Atsumu’s affection while they were outside of her quarters, relaxed in his arms and accepted the samurai’s embrace.

“Any injuries, Kita-sama?” Suna asked, placing Atsumu’s _haori_ that he picked up on her shoulders.

She shook her head, pulling the jacket around her tighter. “Omimi-san was shot by an arrow and is being treated in the infirmary. I’m unharmed.”

“Let’s get you inside, Kita-sama.” Osamu motioned them all towards the building. “I’ll call General Ojiro for an emergency meeting.”

“Please,” She held her temples in her hands as the men guided her into the palace. “Tonight, I just want to rest.”

Atsumu’s heart clenched; Kita was trembling, and her voice sounded meek. Even though he wanted to find the culprit as soon as possible, the samurai didn’t want to overexert Kita when she was at her most vulnerable state.

“I’ll take you back to your quarters. We’ll handle the rest.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaaahhh. i'm really bad at action scenes.  
> hopefully this chapter was worth the wait! i was struggling real hard haha.


	5. The Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ojiro Aran investigates the ambush, trying to find the culprit.

Atsumu escorted his fiancée to her quarters. Despite his insistence for Kita to rest, she kneeled in front of the _Inari_ shrine to pray for Omimi’s recovery. Mutters of prayer were the only sounds heard across the room, but the pitter-patters of servants’ footsteps could be heard from the hall way. Atsumu kept his distance from Kita; he knew when to give the priestess her space. While the samurai stood guard for her, Akagi approached the couple from behind.

“Kita-sama needs to be examined for injuries,” he states as the mage watched the priestess bow her head to the ground in front of the large marble nine-tailed fox statue. “The doctor is waiting in her quarters, please ensure she arrives promptly.”

Atsumu nodded and gave a bow in thanks to Akagi as he walked away quietly. A few minutes passed. He slowly made his way closer to the kneeling priestess and placed his hand on her shoulder. She looked up at her fiancé, eyes glistening with tears threatening to fall.

“Let’s get you back to your room, Shinsuke,” the samurai whispered sweetly. He traced the clipped tips of her bangs; she’ll have to push back her bangs until they grow back evenly.

Kita got up from the ground with Atsumu’s help, allowing him to wrap his _haori_ around her shoulders again. As they walked away, she looked back at the statue of the god she served, hoping that her desperation was heard.

——

Osamu and Suna sent out notices for the imperial court to assemble for an emergency meeting. In the absence of their priestess and her advisor, Aran took lead on the matter. It was going to be a long night preparing, since they had to wait for members from all over the empire to arrive to the capital.

“We’ve just received reports from the guards that accompanied Kita-sama during the ambush. It sounds like the only one that survived was the guard who was trailing behind the carriage,” The general explained, sliding over the papers to Osamu and Suna to read. “The guard manning the carriage was kidnapped, and both of the footmen were killed.”

Osamu flipped through the pages, looking for anything that would catch his attention, with the mage peering over his shoulder to try and keep up. They were sitting in Aran’s office in the embassy, waiting for any news on Omimi’s condition. A sketch of a burning carriage caught his eye.

“Did we find anything in the ashes?” Osamu asked.

Aran shook his head, furrowing his brows. “The culprit was smart, didn’t leave any trails. No motive either.”

“Who was that one politician that Atsumu insists is out for Kita-sama? Maybe the idiot was onto something.” Suna mentioned.

“Amai Shunmyo,” Aran and Osamu replied in unison.

“He’s back in his hometown though, so there’s little chance he’s the culprit.” The secretary scratched his head in frustration. “But it’s not impossible.”

They all sat around the opened report book quietly, trying to piece together any lead for the ambush. Suddenly, the screen door slammed open and an out-of-breath Ginjima holding a crumbled piece of paper in his hand like he had discovered gravity.

“Omimi-san found something that could lead us to the culprit,” he said in between deep breaths.

Suna ran over to the heaving lieutenant and handed him a cup of water. He happily accepted the drink and downed it quickly. Ginjima handed the piece of paper to the general and slumped himself into the seat beside him. The mage returned to his seat next to Osamu. They watched as Aran read the piece of paper.

“ _A fire, warm and comforting, can become your downfall if left alone for too long._ ” Aran read to them.

Osamu ruffled his hair in frustration. “That doesn’t really tell us anything we don’t already know. They saw the carriage light up on fire.”

“How’s his condition?”

“Good, they were able treat the wound and no infections. Omimi-san also mentioned that he saw a man in a _kitsune_ mask throw the match into the carriage. He was facing Kita and him as they were riding away.” Ginjima pulled out his scroll of notes. “The man wore _shinobi_ garb, and he was about the height of the top of the window to the driver’s seat.”

“ _Shinobi_ clothes…” Aran moved to grab his register of listed mercenaries. “That’s rare.”

The secretary tapped his finger on his chin, deep in thought. Suna tried to think of anyone he knew that was associated with the _shinobi_. Some of them were mages that left the temple in order to pursue military jobs; if they could control spiritual elements, then they were more desirable for high-ranking positions that paid well.

“There is a retired _ninja_ in a village near Amai Shunmyo’s town, Takagata,” Aran informs the group, showing them a portrait of the man. “He has three sons, who more than likely have access to his equipment.”

“Suspects 1, 2, and 3 then.” Suna proclaims. “Something we should discuss at the meeting.”

“It’s a good start. Better to have some lead to announce at the meeting than nothing at all.” The secretary adds in.

“Alright, men. We got a lot of work ahead of us,” Aran collected the documents on the desk and straightened it up. “Gin, please give us any reports on Omimi-san’s condition. Request reports from the soldiers in Takagata about Amai Shunmyo’s whereabouts within the last week, I’m leaving that to you.”

“Yes, sir.” The lieutenant got up from his seat and excused himself from the room quickly.

“Osamu, I’m leaving the meeting arrangements to you, since that’s usually Omimi’s responsibility. You can refer to any of our minutes in my archive for reference.”

“Yes, sir.” The secretary responded.

“And Suna, please catch Atsumu up on the information we’ve got so far. Let him know that he needs to be present at the meeting, in place for his fiancée. Be sure to use those exact words.”

“Good thinking, General.” Suna waved a goodbye to his lover before leaving the room.

The general let out a heavy sigh. He took off his hat and applied pressure through his scalp; a headache was creeping towards his temples.

“How are you feeling, about the ambush, General?” Osamu asked as he was pulling out books of archived meeting minutes.

“In regards of government business or personal feelings?” Aran asked through his hands that was pressed against his face.

“Personal feelings.”

“I’m angry, at myself. My close friend was injured, and I put my best friend in harm. I didn’t send more guards, since I thought it was just a short visit to an elderly monk’s town.” He replied, voice beginning to quiver. “It was my incompetency that caused this to happen.”

“I don’t think Kita-san would allow you to think that way, Aran-kun,” Osamu chuckled sarcastically. “You would know that, of all people.”

Aran returned the sarcastic laugh. “Don’t tell her.”

“No promises, General.”

——

After a passing physical from the imperial doctor, Kita was able to retire to her bedroom. She had expended a considerable amount of energy while fighting off attacks on her ride back to the capital, so rest was ordered. The lady-in-waitings helped her wash up and change into her nightwear, which consisted of a long lilac silk slip and robe gifted by Atsumu. The samurai waited outside the door until the lady-in-waitings left, then he was allowed to enter the room.

The priestess’ hair was worn straight down, brushed to softness. It looked like her clipped bangs were trimmed evenly. She was sitting in her bed, legs tucked underneath her duvet.

“Have you heard anything about Ren’s condition?” She asked, hoping to hear any good news.

Atsumu shook his head; her eyes drooped in disappointment. He sat near Kita’s bedside, taking her hands into his.

“I’m sure he will be okay. We have the best doctors of the empire here, so Omimi-san will be in good hands. I think you need to focus on resting.” He ran his hands through her hand, pulling strands behind her ear.

“Alright, but if you hear anything—”

“I will report to you, my dear.” He finished with a smile.

Kita smiled back, leaning in to give him a kiss, which Atsumu was happy to accept. Then, a knock on the priestess’ door interrupted the couple, causing him to grumble annoyedly. Before Kita could allow the visitor to enter, Atsumu stopped her.

“Let me see who it is, don’t want everyone seeing my bride in her nightwear.” He joked, planting a kiss on her forehead as he got up from her bedside.

She chuckled at his antics but allowed him to do as he pleased. Kita leaned over to grab her book of scriptures to study.

Atsumu slid the door open wide enough for his body to fit between then stuck his head out. “Yes?”

“Found ya,” Suna greeted. His hands were folded into his sleeves. “I got some information about the ambush for you and Kita-sama.”

The mage tried to peer behind Atsumu to see if the priestess was there. Atsumu moved to block his view.

“She’s in her nightwear now, so I can report anything to her.” He said protectively.

Suna gave him a deadpanned expression then relaxed his posture. “How gentlemanly of you.”

“Omimi-san’s condition has been stabilized, and we have a lead for the culprit of the ambush. You’ve been summoned to attend tonight’s meeting in place of your fiancée.” He reported, handing Atsumu a report book. “If Kita-sama is feeling better, have her go over the report and make any additions as necessary.”

The samurai flipped through the pages. He saw _Amai Shunmyo_ written into the side column of the report in Osamu’s handwriting. A scowl appeared on his face as soon as his eyes ran over the kanji.

“Make sure you’re in attendance, not as samurai Miya Atsumu, but Kita-sama’s fiancé.” Suna reminded. He pat his friend’s shoulder then turned to exit. “Aran-kun’s allowin’ you to bring personal feelings this one time.”

“Let him know I appreciate it.”

“Will do, give Kita-sama my regards.”

Atsumu nodded, slipping back into the bedroom. He looked up from the report book to see his lover nodding off as she was still sitting upright. Strands of her hair fell in front of her face, tickling her nose. Kita scrunched her face to attempt to move it.

_“I know she doesn’t need it, but I want to hold her in my arms and protect her forever,”_ the samurai thought, crouching beside her again. He moved her hair behind her ears once again.

Kita’s eyes fluttered open and caught him staring. Atsumu’s face turned red once he noticed how close his face was to hers. However, he refused to move himself further away from her.

“Sorry, I used up a lot of energy on the horse ride back,” she yawned. “Who was at the door?”

“Suna. It sounds like Omimi’s wound treatment went well, and there is a lot of new information about the ambush.” Atsumu flashed her the report book then rested it next to her. “However, you need to rest. Don’t go through any of this information until tomorrow morning.”

The priestess furrowed her eyebrows. “Miya Atsumu, it’s my duty, as head priestess and leader of our empire, to be informed about these matters.”

“And Kita Shinsuke, it’s my duty, as your fiancé and devote partner, to make sure you’re well-rested.” He replied, guiding her to lay down and pulling the duvet over her shoulders. “You can review these documents in the morning, and General Ojiro will come and debrief you on the meeting tomorrow.”

“Alright…good night, my love.” Kita’s eyes held the moon’s reflection.

Atsumu planted a kiss on her forehead. “Good night, my dear.”

——

The sun was rising slowly over the horizon; the sounds of horses galloping, rippling through the morning fog could be heard from the capital entrance. A crowd of political, religious, and military leaders occupied the palace courtyard. Silence: suffocating and anxiety-ridden. Everyone in attendance knew what this meeting was about. There wouldn’t be joyous reunions of acquaintances, old students and mentors. No comedic conversations or casual talks about family.

Suna was standing by the bonsai trees, per his usual meeting routine. This time, his lover wouldn’t be beelining towards him, and only Akagi was standing beside him. His usual energetic demeanor was replaced by the serious head imperial mage persona.

“Akagi-san,” Suna tugged on his sleeve to grab his attention. “Here is your notes for your prayers.”

The tension left his shoulders, and he smiled at his junior. “Thank you, Suna.”

General Ojiro Aran entered the courtyard, and the room kneeled before him. Behind him, tailed the Miya twins. Atsumu wore his nicest kimono: a deep maroon piece with a large embroidered dragon spirit wrapped over his shoulder, trailing down his spine. He usually reserved this outfit for any events where he represented Kita and the royal family. Osamu was in his usual attire —a navy kimono with a gray _obi_ tied neatly around his waist.

Aran motioned for the crowd to return to their seats, then Osamu handed him a rolled up scroll. “I’m sure we are all aware of the contents of today’s meeting, so let’s waste any time.”

“Our priestess and her advisor were ambushed last night. Casualties include two footmen killed, one guard missing, and Omimi-san was shot by an arrow. Current leading suspects are the Sakimoto Maro, Sakimoto Masato, and Sakimoto Marise. Sakimoto Zenko’s _shinobi_ garb has been reported missing, so I suggest that the council moves forward with an investigation. Any objections?”

Atsumu stared intensely at a particular politician, waiting to see his answer. Amai had been too quiet. But the man continued to keep his mouth shut. The general continued on —assigning committees for the funerals of the footmen and informing their families, and creating search parties for the missing guard.

The samurai read an excerpt of a note Kita gave him before he left for the meeting and reported her condition. The meeting adjourned after Akagi led the prayers for the fallen.

——

“And that’s what happened during this morning’s meeting, Kita-sama.” Aran concluded, shutting his minutes notebook. “How has your recovery been?”

“Um,” the priestess’s tone was a mix of forced composure and a hint of embarrassment.

Kita was still in bed, sitting up against the headboard and supported by too many pillows. Her fiancé had insisted on bringing in this many. He sat beside her as they listened to the general speak, playing with her fingers in his hands. Ever since Aran and Atsumu came back from the meeting, he had been glued to the priestess’ side.

“I didn’t have any injuries, only needed some sleep.” She replied as she looked over to her whiny lover. “But it seems like something happened to Atsumu at the meeting…?”

Aran sighed exasperatedly. “Nothing happened. He said that talking about your condition during the meeting made him miss you.”

“Kita-san,” Atsumu whined as he nuzzled his face into her palm that he was holding. “You don’t understand. I had to sit in on a meeting without being able to see your lovely presence. It was just a room filled with men!”

She pulled back her hand slowly. “You shouldn’t be so childish, Atsumu. It’s our responsibility and honor to be able to attend important briefings and be informed about these things.”

“Anyway, Shinsuke,” Aran placed a small silk blue pouch with elaborate patterns on her bedside and bowed. “I have to take my leave now. There is a lot of work for me to do for this investigation, so please excuse me.”

“Don’t overwork yourself, Aran.” Kita picked up his gift and held it in her lap. She waved to him as he left the room.

A pouty Atsumu filled her view. He pointed to the pouch. “What’s inside?”

She unravelled the ribbon that cinched the opening. Inside was a koi fish charm with an _omamori_ for saftey. Kita ran her fingertips over the embroidered fabric of the talisman and smiled.

“He must’ve been worried,” the samurai mentioned. “I didn’t know you could give the head priestess _omamori._ ”

She laughed. “You don’t.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy lunar new year! wishing you and your loved ones a safe and healthy year !!   
> this chapter was a long time coming. i actually wrote a completely different chapter originally but decided to change it up and make my original draft the next chapter.   
> thank you for being so patient with this update ₍˄·͈༝·͈˄₎◞ ̑̑ෆ⃛


	6. My Love, For You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The story of Kita Shinsuke, before she became the head priestess of Inarizaki.

Kita Shinsuke: born to a lineage of priests and priestesses who live to serve the god _Inari,_ the god in which they named their empire after. She was born on a sunny day at her mother’s family’s rice farm. Her granny told her that the fields of rice were dusted with gold when the midwives heard Shinsuke’s first cries: a sign of blessing from the gods.

All priests were required to train alongside the imperial mages and mage students. Some of her predecessors, like her father, didn’t start their training until later in their life. They went through _samurai_ and military training first; some due to war, others because of their own desires. Shinsuke saw how it ruined her father’s spiritual connection to the gods; it wasn’t obvious to the public, but he wasn’t able to devote himself to their principles properly. By the time her father retired, his spiritual flame dimmed near to nothing.

Shinsuke was raised in the imperial temple with the mages, her retired grandmother, and her mother. Most of her time was spent training with the other mage students, with a few royal etiquette lessons when the students had chores. It was a peaceful and joyful life; Kita was able to spend her days devoting herself to the temple she loved so dearly.

“Kita-himesama,” a young Omimi sat with his knees tucked underneath him. He was waiting outside a closed screen door that led to the young girl’s study. “Akagi-san is asking for your attendance in the courtyard.”

“Ren-kun, you don’t have to call me _himesama_ in the temple,” Kita slid the screen door open, revealing furrowed brows and pouted lips.

The young boy shook his head defiantly. “Papa told me that I always have to call Kita-himesama _himesama_ , it’s my duty.”

Shinsuke sighed, knowing that his stubbornness about her title was probably the same as his father’s. Ren was training to become her advisor in the future, or least he was trying to. She knew that she wanted him to be on her court, regardless.

“Anyway, Akagi-san wants us to meet him in the courtyard for a surprise.”

As if he was summoned upon mentioning his name, a short boy jumping with excitement came running down the hallway. He wore his _kariginu_ sloppily and a blinding smile on his face.

“Shinsuke! Hurry! We have to come greet the new student! He’s coming from the eastern villages!” Akagi ran in between the two other kids, pulling Omimi with him as he ran off. “Hurry!”

Omimi was scolding the shorter’s behavior, and a “It’s Kita-himesama to you!” echo as they ran down the hallway.

Kita hoisted the heavy skirt she was wearing under her kimono into her arms and followed the boys down the hall. Bright giggles echoed throughout the temple with the mages and teachers scolding the kids as they passed by. Moments like these made her wish that she could stay there forever.

Unfortunately, Kita had many responsibilities outside of the temple grounds. As the daughter of the priest, and princess of her empire, she was obligated to accompany her parents to parties and meetings with the families of prominent noblemen. The atmosphere was suffocating, and Shinsuke wasn’t allowed to speak unless spoken to. It wasn’t difficult, though. She didn’t want to talk to the old men anyway.

“Oh my,” the wife of a politician Kita couldn’t recall. “Our empire’s princess has grown up so much since the last time we visited.”

Kita’s mother replied with a smile, placing her hand on her daughter’s shoulder. Shinsuke knew that meant she had to bow in respect, which she did. The pleasantries involving the princess ended there, so she sat beside her mother silently.

In those parties and meetings, Kita daydreamed of feeding the koi fish with her friends. Omimi always came well prepared with lots of _panko_ crumbs from the kitchen, and Akagi carried all the snacks for the group to eat. Occasionally, the other students would tag along if all of the chores were finished in time. Vibrant scales dancing across the pond, glistening under the rays of sunshine. She thought of days practicing spiritual energy control with her granny. The smell of fresh _onigiri_ coming from the temple’s kitchen. The sounds of bell chimes in the wind. The shiver of chills when stepping out of the temple on a rainy day.

Her thoughts were interrupted when General Ojiro greeted the Kita family. General Ojiro had usually attended on his own; he was Shinsuke’s favorite court member, since he always asked her about her priestess training. He had brought a young boy this time, roughly around the princess’ age, presumably his son.

“Kita-sama,” he knelt on one knee in front of Shinsuke’s dad. The young boy followed suit. “Please allow me to introduce my son to you.”

A rare and hearty laugh escaped the priest’s lips. “Kenji, no need for the formalities.” He clapped his hand onto the general’s upper arm, urging him to stand back up.

The young boy looked confused but continued to copy whatever his father did. His eyes caught the sight of Shinsuke; she stared back intensely. Nervousness present in his expression, but his posture remained perfect.

“This is my son, Aran. He had just graduated from the academy —youngest in his class.” General Ojiro boasted.

“Congratulations, Aran. I see a bright future for you, son.” Shinsuke’s dad replied, patting the young boy’s shoulder.

“Aran, this is Princess Shinsuke. She is currently in training to be the next priestess. Make sure you pay your respects.” His dad nudged him forward.

The young boy took a step forward, giving a deep bow to the princess and the empress. “It’s a pleasure to meet you in person, Your Majesty, Your Highness.”

“My my, what great manners.” Shinsuke’s mom replied. “Shinsuke, why don’t you show Aran-kun around the palace?”

“Aran, make sure to escort the princess properly.” General Ojiro said.

The young boy offered his arm to the princess, who gently rested her hand on the crook of his arm. Their parents excused them from the courtyard, continuing their conversation about political matters.

——

Aran and Kita walked together around the palace grounds quietly. The only sounds between them were the clinking of the jewels on her hairpin clashing together. It was awkward… to say the least. They were crossing the bridge above the koi pond when Kita tried to break the silence.

“Ojiro-san, would you like to feed the fish?” She offered, pulling out a bag of crumbs from her kimono.

He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, _“why does she have a bag of crumbs with her?”_ Nevertheless, Aran agreed, holding his hands out for her to pour the crumbs into. They rested on the edge of the bridge, dangling their legs over the pond. He used the fence to support himself. Kita threw a few pieces in, watching as some of the fish pool underneath them.

“I’ve named all of the koi fish,” the princess randomly mentioned. She pointed at one that was inhaling a large crumb. “That one is named Aoi.”

Kita pointed at another one swimming away. “That little guy is Sora.”

Aran, who was in the middle of dropping his batch in, turned to look at Kita incredulously. A large _plop_ could be heard when the handful of crumbs fell into the pond. A swarm of fish chased the food as it travelled downstream.

_“She cannot be serious…”_

She stared back at him, with as much seriousness as she could. Of course, she didn’t know any of the koi fish personally. The ones Kita mentioned were simply random names she thought of. As a member of the royal family, the people around her were always blindly praising her, in hopes of getting on her good side. Kita was testing to see what kind of person Ojiro Aran was. The only ones who were honest with her were the people at the temple. The princess was just Kita Shinsuke when she was at the temple.

“With all due respect, Your Highness, but there is no way you could’ve possibly named all of the koi and memorized it.” He said, trying to keep his composure. “I don’t believe that you can tell the difference between each of them.”

Aran internally cursed at himself when he saw Kita’s straight face: what if he offended the princess of the priest and emperor his family served? He would be in so much trouble with his father. Before the young boy could overthink, a soft chuckle escaped Kita’s lips. She was trying her best to hold back her laughter, turning away to hide her expression from Aran.

“What’s so funny?” He asked, contorting himself to look at the princess’ face. “Are you okay, Your Highness?”

“Ojiro-san, you would be a great comedian if you could insult a royal family member straight to their face,” Kita replied in between laughs. “Or you just have blind courage.”

Aran pouted. He was genuinely worried he said something wrong when he was trying to be honest with her, and she was sitting there laughing at his agony. However, his father did warn him that the princess liked to pull pranks on him during these get-togethers; apparently, she was the only child present at the meetings. Once he calmed his worries, he saw the serious and stoic princess’ smiling face. Kita had moon-shaped eyes, with the corners crinkling happily. This was probably the first time she got to spend with anyone her age at these events. He joined her in laughing about the situation; it was, objectively, funny.

“Your Highness,” Aran pushed himself up from the ledge and offered her his hand. “Let’s continue our tour.”

Kita smiled back, accepting his help to pull her up. Her kimonos were not easy to move in. “You can call me Shinsuke, if you’d like.”

“I don’t believe that it would be appropriate for me to call you that, Your Highness.” Aran replied as she returned her hand at the crook of his arm.

The princess’ eyes held a hint of sadness when he looked down at her.

“However, I would be honored if you would call me Aran. In return, I will at least call you Kita-himesama.” He offered, hoping to see her smile one more time.

Which, Kita did. “Okay, Aran-kun. However, I will get you to call me Shinsuke one day.”

——

Years went by, and the princess was nearing the end of her training. This meant it was time for her to find a suitor, and the entire imperial court knew. What made matters worse, many of the noblemen were trying to introduce their sons to Shinsuke. All of the meetings took place at the temple, as they also visited to pay respects to the priest. It always disrupted the monks’ and students’ training and duties, and she felt bad that their work had to be interrupted by her and her father’s.

Kita believed that her devotion to their gods came before marriage; once she deemed herself to be a capable priestess, she would think of starting a family. She was also too young to be thinking of romance, even if she was approaching the age of courtship. Her grandmother, who she loves and respects dearly, has been concerning her with the idea of marriage more frequently. Therefore, the princess had to go through these formalities in the meantime.

——

The chime of the temple’s bells signaled a new hour; the day was nearing sunset. It was in between winter and spring, so the days were starting to get longer. The snow outside had almost melted completely, green moss peaking underneath it. A foot print appeared in the damp ground as the young suitor climbed up the spiraling stairs to the temple. Mages and students were emerging from the bamboo forest, greeting the familiar face as they walked by. He waved back, clutching a worn, bounded book to his chest as he made his way to the temple’s grand entrance.

It was another one of those introductions where she was meeting some nobleman’s son, and Shinsuke was waiting in the tearoom adjacent to the temple’s stone garden. The aroma coming from the jasmine tea filled the closed room, relaxing her mind.

Her new lady-in-waiting was too eager to get her ready for dinner on time, so she arrived to the tearoom early. If she was younger, she would’ve saw this as a waste of time she could have been studying. Shinsuke was old enough to understand the virtues of patience, so she sat quietly with her thoughts until a footman came in to announce the arrival of her suitor for the evening.

A familiar head of a young samurai appeared. He was dressed in a black _hakama_ outfit with his family’s crest on his _kimono_. A worn, bounded book was held close to his chest.

“Kita-himesama, it is an honor to be accompanying you this evening.” The suitor looked up from his bow, locking eyes with the surprised princess.

Shinsuke usually didn’t know who she would be seeing that day, as it is arranged according to her father’s wishes, but she was not expecting to see Miya Atsumu. Their families were close friends, since his father was part of the imperial court. They had known each other since they were young, with the twins visiting the temple to pay their respects to her family. Once Atsumu entered his advanced samurai training, he didn’t come by as frequently as he used to. Osamu regularly visited the temple to see Suna, so the princess would hear updates on his training and career.

“Atsumu-san, the pleasure is all mine,” Shinsuke replied, her eyes following him as he settled himself in the seat cushion across from her.

The last time Kita had seen him was when he was still only a few centimeters taller than her. Now, he would most definitely tower over her. His features had matured: the baby fat had disappeared and left him with a sharp jawline, and his eyes overflowing with unfaltering confidence. Atsumu was, indeed, extremely handsome; it was no wonder she had heard rumors of his overwhelming popularity with women in the capital.

“It’s been a while since I’ve last visited. You look lovely, Kita-himesama.” The samurai said as their meal had arrived to the room. He kept his gaze locked with her’s, smiling unabashedly.

While it may seem that Shinsuke was unaffected by his charm, she felt flutters in her chest. Not only did his arrival catch her off-guard, she didn’t remember him being this bold.

“Thank you, Atsumu-san. You look like you’ve been doing well, too. I heard from your brother that you’re teaching at the academy now.” The princess tried suppress her bashfulness through drinking her tea.

A glimmer of excitement shined across his face. “I’ve recently been promoted to teach advanced archery. It’s what made me want to see you this evening.”

Atsumu handed over the tattered book he was carrying. Kita held it in her hands, looking over its condition; it was bound by thick string to hold the pages together, and the cover was worn down in the corners with remnants of bending across the cover. She looked back up at the samurai, who urged her to flip open the pages.

Each page she opened had a _sumi-e_ painting of different flowers that grew on the palace grounds. Each flower was accompanied by stanzas of poems or entries of his visits to the palace and temple. The last page with a drawing of a large _sakura_ tree on it had and an unfolded letter attached. 

_Congratulations, Miya Atsumu, on your graduation from the academy. I look forward to hearing about the accomplishments from your career. I hope you’ll come visit the temple when you have the time. One day, I will look back and be able to tell my grandchildren how proud I was to have known you._

_Princess Kita Shinsuke of Inarizaki_

The paper had aged a little, but other than that it was in perfect condition. Kita remembered writing this letter after hearing that she would be attending Atsumu’s graduation from the samurai academy in place of her father. She can tell it was from her adolescent years because her calligraphy wasn’t as refined as it is now.

“I remember opening your letter that day and feeling an ache in my chest,” Atsumu chuckled.

The princess looked up at him with a curious expression. There was nothing in the letter that could’ve been taken as offensive, at least that’s what she thought.

“At first, I couldn’t figure out why. Anyone would be honored to receive such praise from a member of the Kita family, but there was a part of me that wasn’t satisfied with being just someone that you knew.” The samurai reached across the table and placed his hand on top of hers, which was still resting on top of the book. “I want to be the one by your side, Princess.”

_“Bold,”_ was all Kita could think as she listened to Atsumu’s confession. She could tell he was trying to be cool. “ _I don’t think that he’s ever been this daring with me.”_

“I’m willing to do whatever it takes, wait however long I have to.” Atsumu seemed very determined. “As long as it’s you.”

“Well, at least you’re straightforward,” she replied. Inside, she was giggling at his serious expression. “But what does that have to do with this book?”

“You…” A blush grew on his face. “You said that you’d tell your grandchildren about me… and I want it to be _our_ grandchildren. I wanted to confess how long I’ve admired you.”

It was Kita’s turn to become flustered. Originally, she wrote that thinking that would be a gesture of good faith —implying that Atsumu would go down in history as a great samurai. She didn’t realize that it affected him so much. Kita looked down at the book again and flipped back to the previous pages. One of the drawings were of Kita’s favorite flower: the wisteria.

_Today, Kita-himesama was dressed in a deep purple kimono with wisteria blooms on it. It was well-crafted, but I believe that the seamstress could’ve made the blooms more vibrant to bring out her skin tone. She spoke elegantly today at the meeting too. It was the first time I’ve ever seen her speak in front of the court, but she didn’t seem nervous at all. One day, I hope to be as unwavering as her when I become headmaster of the academy. (And I will commission the best seamstresses to make her kimonos that will suit her best.)_

“Atsumu-san.”

“Just Atsumu, if that’s okay, Princess.”

“Atsumu-kun,” the princess corrected herself. “I believe we should start with getting to know each other a little more before we think about grandchildren.”

The samurai began to fumble with his words. “O-of course, I was just—”

She interrupted his stuttering with her giggles. “Why don’t you tell me more about your teaching?”

Their evening was filled with catching up with each other’s lives. Atsumu spoke very proudly about his students; most of them were young children, so he felt like a true older brother (having a twin is a different experience). Kita told him about her completion of her religious training and how she had to begin her military training. Sparring was taking a toll on her, and it was leading to lots of bruises on her body.

“Kita-himasama.”

“Kita-san is okay.”

“Oh,” Atsumu was caught off-guard. “Kita-san… you should be careful. Sparring scars don’t go away easily.”

“That’s what my mother told me too,” Kita was finishing up her plate of sushi. “I’ve been treating my wounds at the infirmary, so I don’t believe there will be any scars.”

“Kita-san, when do you think you’ll be coronated?”

“Hmm…” The princess furrowed her brows in deep thought. “I’m not quite sure. My father is still debating his retirement. There will be a long process to establish my imperial court, and I would have to be debriefed on any confidential issues that are of importance.”

“Wow, that’ll be a long time then.” Atsumu took a sip of his tea. “Do you think my position would be compromised if we were involved romantically?”

“It won’t be if you don’t cause any problems,” She joked.

The evening transitioned to night, once the moon reached its peak in the sky. It was a rare clear winter night, so they decided to take a stroll in the temple’s garden. Kita’s lady-in-waiting had her slip on her fur scarf and had Atsumu carry a blanket with them before leaving the temple. Atsumu wanted to view the tree peony blooms, since it was his favorite winter flower. It’s also in the part of the garden that has the clearest view of the moon. As they walked to the viewing spot, Atsumu was talking about his favorite flower-viewing spots in his hometown.

“The most convenient spot has to be behind my family home’s gazebo. I discovered it after getting into a fight with Samu and running away —we were nine at the time.” The samurai sighed with nostalgia. “It was summer too, so the hydrangeas were really vibrant and lotsa fireflies! It felt magical.”

Kita never pinned Atsumu to be a man who knew so much about flowers, or someone who even cared about the different type of blooms there were throughout the year. He spoke with such passion and love that made her chest swell with warmth.

“Do you have a favorite flower, Kita-san?”

“Wisteria, it’s my grandmother’s favorite.” She smiled to herself when she remembered her grandmother’s sparkling eyes when her father planted the large wisteria trees at the entrance of the palace. “How about yours?”

“Hm, not sure.” Atsumu rubbed his chin as he pondered. “Can it be by season?”

“No, that’s cheating.”

The samurai whined. “Kita-san, that’s like asking a mother to choose her favorite child.”

“Are you Mother Nature?”

“Hmmph,” Atsumu resumed his thinking.

They were approaching the stone bench beside the large bushes of tree peonies. He laid down the blanket on it for them to sit on. The moon was hanging high in the sky, and its light was enough for them to appreciate the fuchsia-colored petals of the flowers. Kita moved closer to the flower to admire the details. Atsumu, who was the one who wanted to see the cherry plum blooms, was too busy admiring the details of the princess next to him.

The samurai hasn’t ever had the chance to admire Kita up-close before, since the closest he’s ever been to her was a few feet away from her when he paid his respects at the temple. Her gray eyelashes were curled upwards, and her irises had the reflection of the moonlight. The tip of her nose was pink, probably due to the cold. The jewels of her hairpin caught the light and reflected it on her skin, making her cheeks sparkle.

“Kita-san.”

“Yes, Atsumu-kun?” 

She turned to make eye contact with him but failed to realize how close he was to her face. They were staring at each other, noses barely touching. Atsumu, while physically flustered, refused to move away.

“I think my favorite flower would have to be the iris,” his voice only loud enough for the princess to hear.

“And why is that?” She whispered back.

Atsumu moved back to hold her chilled hands into his warm ones. “Because it would’ve been the most beautiful flower in bloom, until you were born, Princess.”

——

Kita sitting in her study in the temple, reviewing the final details of the harvest festival’s itinerary. Due to Osamu’s diligent work, everything was still running on schedule, despite the setback of the ambush. She looked out of her window to see her fiancé walking up the spiraling steps to the temple. Her favorite thing about her study is that it overlooked the entrance, so she could see people enter and leave the grounds from the comfort of her seat.

“Kita-sama,” a familiar voice called out. “May I come in?”

“Of course,” she replied.

A refreshed-looking Omimi entered the room. Kita’s shoulders relaxed ever so slightly.

“Welcome back, Ren.”

“Thank you, Shinsuke.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahhh this chapter ended up being so long even though it's mostly a back story. but it was really fun developing her character, since she mostly seems like a blunt and stoic person when i feel like kita is actually pretty mischievous.  
> i was debating on posting a whole chapter just dedicated to kita's backstory, but i think it was nice to be able to reflect on her relationships with people in the palace since they all call her different titles depending on the situation.  
> so, kita-sama is reserved for times where they are talking about her as a priestess, kita-san is more casual than that but still in terms of her seniority, and shinsuke is the most casual (only aran, akagi, omimi, and atsumu will ever call her this outside of her family).  
> also! come talk to me on twitter! i want to try being more active on it, so be patient with me haha. my handle is @ohhanabi98


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